Golden Gate Bridge is a suspension bridge spanning the Golden Gate, the one-mile-wide (1.6 km) strait connecting San Francisco Bay and the Pacific Ocean. The structure links the U.S. city of San Francisco, California—the northern tip of the San Francisco Peninsula—to Marin County, carrying both U.S. Route 101 and California State Route 1 across the strait. Before the bridge was built, the only practical short route between San Francisco and what is now Marin County was by boat across a section of San Francisco Bay hence many wanted to build a bridge to connect San Francisco to Marin County. However, many experts said that the ferocious winds and blinding fogs would prevent construction and operation. Eventually, the proposal of construction of the bridge was made in a 1916 San Francisco Bulletin article by former engineering student James Wilkins. Eventually, the bridge was completed in May 27th, 1937 and has become of the biggest attractions and landmark of San Francisco.
The temple was built in 1665 during the Koxinga dynasty (Ming dynasty). In 1685, soon after the Taiwan was annexed by the Qing dynasty, the first Taiwan Regional Chief Administrator Chou Chang and Taiwan Prefecture Magistrate Chiang Yu-ying began their efforts to have the temple renovated and reconstructed into Taiwan Prefecture Academy. Since then, the compound has been renovated and expanded several times. After 1895, Taiwan was under Japanese rule, the temple was once again used as a public school and military barracks and was considerably damaged. The temple has been renovated several times over the past 300 years, most recently between 1987 and 1989, during the time of Republic of China (Taiwan). Today the temple serves as a popular tourist attraction and also preserves ancient Confucian ceremonies, which are conducted on a regular basis. The temple also includes storerooms for the ritual implements and musical instruments that are used in these ceremonies.
Inaugurated in 1973, The Sydney Opera House is Australia's most famous building and one of the Worlds most famous sites. It was inscribed as a UNESCO World Heritage site in 2007. It is an icon of 20th century architecture and is a stunning sculpture set amongst a fantastic waterscape. As a daring experiment in architecture when building began in 1958 its influence on design and architecture since is unparalleled. It is a functional performing arts centre hosting 1600 performances a year and privy to eight million visitors annually. It is a marvel of engineering at the time and featured one of the first uses of computers to perform structural analysis however the project was completed 10 years late and 1357% over budget. It stands from completion as a key feature of the Sydney Harbour Skyline and one of the most recognisable buildings in the world. Its shape is synonymous with Australia and features as one of its most significant tourism draws.
Sydney Opera House at Sunset. View across Circular Quay from Four Seasons Hotel
Standing to the north side of Senate Square in Helsinki, Helsinki Cathedral is a Lutheran Cathedral built between 1830 - 1852 and designed by Carl Ludvig Engel (d. 1840). The Building was later altered by Ernst Lohrmann who added the four small domes around the edge and 12 statues to the roof. The building and crypt are popular tourist destinations and were visited by half a million people in 2018. It is however not a UNESCO World Heritage Site. The design of the cathedral is based upon a Greek Cross and the ends are supported by six Corinthian columns. 12 zinc apostles adorn the edge of the roof and are the largest unified collections of zinc statues in the world.
Helsinki Cathedral viewed from Senate Square
The fifty foot shrine stands about 500 feet in front of the Itsukushima Shrine on the island of Itsukushima (Miyajima) in Japan. The shine itself is a UNESCO World heritage site and the shrine that stands today is from the 13th century. The gate itself was most recently rebuilt in 1875. It is noted that it at its most beautiful at high tide when the gate and the shrine itself appear to float on the water. At low tide is possible to walk up to and around the gate pictured. The island itself has been considered holy for many hundreds of years. It's thought that the first shrine erected here was in the 6th century. The 13th century style preserved today is an outstanding example of shindenzukuri style of architecture and provides invaluable information as to the evolving spiritual culture of Shintoism and the concept of scenic beauty, which is why it was considered a World Heritage Site in 2001
A photo of Itsukushima Shrine taken at high-tide at night.
Phulkari word consists of 2 words “Phul” and “Kari” which means flower and works respectively in the region of Punjab, India. It started in the 15th century by the women of Punjab and is known as the folk embroidery of rural Punjab. The embroidery is generally very bright and colorful which brings colors to the lives of people. Even though phulkari means flower work, the embroidery doesn't only limit to flowers but also includes geometric shapes and motifs. Earlier this type of embroidery is only restricted to shawls and odhani but nowadays this is done on large-scale canvases such as sarees and churidar kameez. In preventing the Phulkari embroidery, digital media plays a crucial role as one can learn how to do such embroidery from different tutorials online posted on platforms like Youtube and Facebook. Also, by making Instagram and TikTok reels on such a beautiful handicraft, content creators can educate their audience about the culture and the beauty that resides in this handmade embroidery culture. Also, there are some websites that offer online courses to learn such embroidery techniques. One can read articles and books on the internet. For people who want to buy such stuff, many retailers are now selling it on online platforms either by making their own website or on some other’s portal.
With 953 honeycomb-shaped and beautifully carved windows on the outside wall, Hawa Mahal is located in Badi Choupad, Pink City of Jaipur, India. It was constructed in 1799 by the Kachhwaha Rajput ruler, Sawai Pratap Singh, grandson of Maharaja Sawai Jai Singh as an extension to Royal City Palace. The building consists of five stores and builds in the form of Krishna's crown as the king was a devotee of Shri Krishna. Windows allow the breeze to blow through the palace making it a perfect summer destination. In contrast to the rich exterior of the Palace, the interior is comparatively simple but gives the visitors the best views of the pink city.
Thangka of Buddha with the One Hundred Jataka Tales, Tibet
Thangka of Buddha with the One Hundred Jataka Tales, Tibet, 13th-14th century, 114.3 x 84.4 cm.
Thangka Depicting Vajrabhairava, ca. 1740, Sotheby's
Tibetan Buddhism is the most widespread religion in Tibet. Musical chanting, most often in Tibetan or Sanskrit, is an integral part of the religion. These chants are complex, often recitations of sacred texts or in celebration of various festivals. Yang chanting, performed without metrical timing, is accompanied by resonant drums and low, sustained syllables. Individual schools such as the Gelug, Nyingma, Sakya and Kagyu, and even individual monasteries, maintain their own chant traditions. Each instrument mimics the sound of an animal, the drums being the footsteps of elephants and the horns mimic bird calls.
Thang-ka, usually depicting a Buddhist deity, scene, or mandala. Most Thang-kas were intended for personal meditation or instruction of monastic students. They often have elaborate compositions including many very small figures. A central deity is often surrounded by other identified figures in a symmetrical composition. Narrative scenes are less common but do appear. Thang-ka perform several different functions. Images of deities can be used as teaching tools when depicting the life (or lives) of the Buddha, describing historical events concerning important Lamas, or retelling myths associated with other deities. Devotional images act as the centerpiece during a ritual or ceremony and are often used as mediums through which one can offer prayers or make requests. Overall, and perhaps most importantly, religious art is used as a meditation tool to help bring one further down the path to enlightenment. The Buddhist Vajrayana practitioner uses a Thang-ka image of their yidam, or meditation deity, as a guide, by visualising "themselves as being that deity, thereby internalising the Buddha qualities" Thang-ka hang on or beside altars, and may be hung in the bedrooms or offices of monks and other devotees.
Carved into the cliffs above the Dachuan River, the Mogao Caves comprise the largest, most richly endowed, and longest used treasure house of Buddhist art in the world. It was first constructed in 366AD and represents the great achievement of Buddhist art from the 4th to the 14th century. 492 caves are presently preserved, housing about 45,000 square meters of murals and more than 2,000 painted sculptures. As evidence of the evolution of Buddhist art in the northwest region of China, the Mogao Caves are of unmatched historical value. These works provide an abundance of vivid materials depicting various aspects of medieval politics, economics, culture, arts, religion, ethnic relations, and daily dress in western China. The unique artistic style of Dunhuang art is not only the amalgamation of Han Chinese artistic tradition and styles assimilated from ancient Indian and Gandharan customs, but also an integration of the arts of the Turks, ancient Tibetans and other Chinese ethnic minorities. Many of these masterpieces are creations of an unparalleled aesthetic talent.
The Royal Albert Dock is a complex of dock buildings and warehouses in Liverpool, England. Designed by Jesse Hartley and Philip Hardwick, it was opened in 1846, and was the first structure in Britain to be built from cast iron, brick and stone, with no structural wood. As a result, it was the first non-combustible warehouse system in the world. It was known simply as the Albert Dock until 2018, when it was granted a royal charter and had the honorific "Royal" added to its name. At the time of its construction the dock was considered to be revolutionary in its design because ships were loaded and unloaded directly from or to the warehouses. Two years after it opened it was modified to feature the world's first hydraulic cranes. Due to its open yet secure design, the dock became a popular store for valuable cargoes such as brandy, cotton, tea, silk, tobacco, ivory and sugar. However, despite its advanced design, the rapid development of shipping technology meant that, within 50 years, larger and more open docks were required, although the Albert Dock remained a valuable store for cargo.
The Victoria Memorial is a building that was constructed in 1921. The building is made of white marble and measures 109m. It has been often described as a veritable icon of the city of Kolkata. The Victoria Memorial was constructed to serve and be dedicated to the memory of Queen Victoria and stands as an architectural gem but also reminiscence to the rule of the British Crown. In terms of the design, the design was conducted by William Emerson who was the chief architect behind Victoria Memorial and the design showcases the Indo-Saracenic Revivalist template. It fuses several Mughal and British architectural elements with touches of Egyptian and Venetian styles, along with architectural influences
The Totes Gebirge, or “Dead Mountains”, is a mountain range spanning the Austrian states of Styria and Upper Austria. The range gets its name from its grey appearance due to the lack of water from natural springs and altitude. Despite this, the mountains in this range are valued for their stark beauty and challenging sport offerings in the form of hiking, climbing, skiing, and more. The highest peak in this range with an altitude of 2515 meters is Großer Priel, located in the Prielgruppe subgroup. Excerpt from P1.
Though they are not a single piece of heritage, bothies represent a broader historical and cultural phenomenon in the United Kingdom, especially Northern England and Scotland. A bothy is a rudimentary shelter in the wilderness which is typically only accessible on foot. Many bothies originally served as shelters for gamekeepers and estate workers, though now they are most commonly used recreationally by hikers. Underpinning the use of bothies is the Scottish Outdoor Access Code, which set legal standards for the long running tradition of free access to privately owned land in Scotland. The largest concentration of bothies can be found in the Scottish Highlands. Excerpt from P1.
The Gateway of India is a building that was constructed in 1924. The arch is made of basalt, and it stands at 85 feet high. It is located on the waterfront at the Apollo Bunder in South Mumbai. It has been often described as the Taj Mahal of Mumbai due to its popular tourist activity. The site is managed by the Archaeological Survey of India. While the Gateway is symbolic of colonial subjugation, it also evokes a sense of cultural identity and belonging to those in Mumbai, which can be paradoxical to some. The Gateway of India was constructed to serve as a symbolic ceremonial entrance for important colonial personnel. In terms of the design, the design was conducted by Scottish architect George Wittet, it combines diverse elements of Hindu and Muslim architecture with Gothic cusped arches and domes and spires. The structure was built using yellow basalt stones enmeshed into a reinforced concrete structure and features impressive carved stone latticework known as jali. Jali is a common feature of Indo-Islamic architecture, jali meaning “net” is a form of architectural decoration of perforated stone through the use of geometric or calligraphic designs.
A 360 tour taken from Gorham's Cave's Viewing Platform. The platform was created to allow visitors to view the entrances of Gorham's Cave Complex from the mainland, and to provide information on the heritage site. Gorham's Cave Complex is a UNESCO World Heritage Site due to the evidence which it has provided on the cultural traditions of the Neanderthals, which occupied the site over 100,000 years. Accompanying photographs of points of interest can be seen through Google Drive due to RoundMe server issues.
"Stac an Armin The northern end and steep western side of Stac an Armin with Boreray in the background." - Richard Webb Stac an Armin is a sea stack within St Kilda. At 196m tall, it is the highest sea stack in Scotland and the British Isles.
Numerous gannets flying around Stac an Armin
Stac an Armin is a sea stack within St Kilda. At 196m tall, it is the highest sea stack in Scotland and the British Isles. This image shows many gannets flying around Stac an Armin.
The Standing Stones of Stenness are thought to have been built over 5000 years in 3100 - 2900 BC. The henge is considered one of the earliest in Britain and is part of a world heritage site called "The Heart of Neolithic Orkney". The stones have a rich history and there are many fascinating legends and stories which surround them. Visit the following link https://stage.openvirtualworlds.org/map/?mapid=6 which will take you to an interactive map, where you can learn more about the Standing Stones of Stenness and other standing stones in Scotland. You will find audio descriptions of each site, pictures and 3D models of how the site looks today and how it is thought it looked hundreds of years ago.
The Remaining Standing Stones of Stenness
Image taken in 2014 of the Standing Stones of Stenness, showing three out of four of the remaining stones.
The Buddhas of Bamiyan were two statues that were carved into the side of a cliff in the Bamiyan valley which is in central Afghanistan. The two buddhas are referred to as the Western and Eastern Buddha, the image pictured is the Western Buddha. Through carbon dating, they were found to have been built around 618 AD and 570 AD respectively. The site is surrounded with caves and surfaces covered with paintings that were said to be a combination of Buddhist and Gupta art from India. Unfortunately, in 2001, the Taliban had ordered for the statues to be destroyed, which caused a wave of protest and condemnation worldwide. For one day in 2015, 3D laser light projection technology was used to fill the empty cavities of the statues.
Larger 55 meter Western Buddha (before 2001)
The Vijayanagara Empire's capital, Hampi was a fortified city during the 14th century, and is located in the state of Karnataka. At the time, it was India's richest city which drew traders from Portugal and Persia. In 1565, the Vijayanagara Empire was conquered by a coalition of Muslim sultanates, and Hampi was pillaged and destroyed and ultimately left in ruins. Currently, Hampi is a religious centre, and UNESCO describes it consist of "forts, riverside features, royal and sacred complexes, temples, shrines, pillared halls, mandapas, memorial structures, water structures and others". Arab and European travellers from the time describe Hampi to have been a prosperous and wealthy city, with numerous markets and temples.
The Virupaksha or the Pampapathi temple is the main center of pilgrimage at Hampi.
The Amphitheatre of El Jem was built in 238 AD and is located in the town of El Djem in Tunisia. At the time it was built, El Djem was known as Thysdrus, which was a Roman province. It was built for spectator events, and is one of the biggest amphitheatres in the world, as well as one of the best preserved Roman ruins. In terms of size, it spans 148 metres by 122 metres and was estimated to host around 35,000 spectators. During the Middle Ages, Thysdrus was attacked by the Vandals in 430 AD and by Arabs in 647 AD, and the amphitheatre was used as a fortress for shelter by the population. At the end of the 18th and 19th centuries, the amphitheatre was used for the manufacture of saltpeter. Later on in the 19th century, the amphitheatre was used for shops, shelter and the storage of grain.
The Amphitheatre of El Jem was built in 238 AD and is located in the town of El Djem in Tunisia. At the time it was built, El Djem was known as Thysdrus, which was a Roman province. It was built for spectator events, and is one of the biggest amphitheatres in the world, as well as one of the best preserved Roman ruins. In terms of size, it spans 148 metres by 122 metres and was estimated to accomodate around 35,000 spectators. During the Middle Ages, Thysdrus was attacked by the Vandals in 430 AD and by Arabs in 647 AD, and the amphitheatre was used as a fortress for shelter by the population. Around the end of the 18th to the 19th century, the amphitheatre was believed to have been used for the manufacture of saltpeter, and at the end of the 19th century, the amphitheatre was used for shops, shelter and grain storage.
Samantabhadra, the bodhisattva of Emei Shan.
Virunga National Park is a national park in the Albertine Rift Valley in the eastern part of the Democratic Republic of the Congo. It was created in 1925. In elevation, it ranges from 680 m (2,230 ft) in the Semliki River valley to 5,109 m (16,762 ft) in the Rwenzori Mountains. From north to south it extends approximately 300 km (190 mi), largely along the international borders with Uganda and Rwanda in the east. It covers an area of 8,090 km2 (3,120 sq mi). Two active volcanoes are located in the park, Mount Nyiragongo and Nyamuragira. They have significantly shaped the national park's diverse habitats and wildlife. More than 3,000 faunal and floral species have been recorded, of which more than 300 are endemic to the Albertine Rift including eastern gorilla (Gorilla beringei) and golden monkey (Cercopithecus kandti). In 1979, the National Park was listed as a UNESCO World Heritage Site because of its rich diversity of habitats, exceptional biodiversity and endemism, and its protection of rare mountain gorilla habitat. It has been listed in the List of World Heritage in Danger since 1994 because of civil unrest and the increase of human presence in the region. There have been several deadly attacks in the park by rebel groups, and several park rangers have been killed.
The Jinding, elevation 3,077 metres (10,095 ft), is the main peak of Mount Emei, a UNESCO World Heritage Site in Sichuan, China. It is also a common name for the Buddhist Huazang Temple built on the summit. Jinding is the highest Buddhist temple in traditionally Han areas of China and it is known for its "four wonders": the sunrise, the sea of clouds, the "Buddhist halo", and the "divine light". Jinding was originally built in 1377 during the Ming dynasty, but has been rebuilt multiple times because of fire. The most recent incident happened in 1972, when the temple was used for transmitting signals of a local television station. Flames caused by a power generator quickly engulfed the wooden temple. The fire burned for two days, destroying countless precious Buddhist relics as well as numerous trees. The only remaining relics are a bronze monument and a bronze doorway from the Ming dynasty, and a bronze statue from the Qing dynasty. In 2004, as part of the Jinding "Revival and Renovation Plan" by the Mt. Emei Buddhist Association, the Huazang Temple was rebuilt along with a 48-meter-tall stupa of the "Ten-faced Puxian Bodhisattva" (Samantabhadra). The rebuilt temple was officially opened on 18 June 2006. 300 notable Buddhist monks attended the grand ceremony, as well as 3,000 visitors.
The Dujiangyan is an ancient irrigation system in Dujiangyan City, Sichuan, China. Originally constructed around 256 BC by the State of Qin as an irrigation and flood control project, it is still in use today. The system's infrastructure develops on the Min River (Minjiang), the longest tributary of the Yangtze. The area is in the west part of the Chengdu Plain, between the Sichuan Basin and the Tibetan Plateau. Originally, the Min would rush down from the Min Mountains and slow down abruptly after reaching the Chengdu Plain, filling the watercourse with silt, thus making the nearby areas extremely prone to floods. King Zhao of Qin commissioned the project, and the construction of the Dujiangyan harnessed the river using a new method of channeling and dividing the water rather than simply damming it. The water management scheme is still in use today to irrigate over 5,300 km2 (2,000 sq mi) of land in the region. The Dujiangyan, the Zhengguo Canal in Shaanxi and the Lingqu Canal in Guangxi are collectively known as the "three great hydraulic engineering projects of the Qin."
The Red Cloud Golden Peak of the mount fanjinshan
Mount Fanjing, is located in Tongren, Guizhou province, is the highest peak of the Wuling Mountains in southeastern China, at an elevation of 2,570 m (8,430 ft). The Fanjingshan National Nature Reserve was established in 1978 and designated a UNESCO Biosphere Reserve in 1986. It is a sacred mountain in Chinese Buddhism, considered to be the bodhimaṇḍa of the Maitreya Buddha. It became a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 2018. Its high mountainous terrain and the sheer size of the mountain have created unique vertical climatic features and plant and animal distribution zones, preserving one of the world's few subtropical native ecosystems and relics of ancient and rare species dating from 70 to 2 million years ago. According to scientific data, there are 2,601 species of organisms in Fanjing Mountain, including 1,800 species of plants, in which 17 types of plants are rare plants; 801 species of animals, in which 19 species of animals are rare ones, accounting for 68% of the total number of protected animals in Guizhou province. The "national treasures" of Fanjing Mountain include the Qianjin snub-nosed monkeys and dove trees, which are the most representative. The Qianjin snub-nosed monkey is endemic to Fanjing Mountain, and its population is even smaller than that of the panda, making it the "Only Child of The World". The dove is an ancient plant from the age of dinosaurs and was once widely distributed in the northern temperate zone, but due to geological and climatic changes it has almost disappeared from the earth. However, in the late spring and early summer, the beautiful dove flowers open in droves, resembling flocks of white cranes flying through the forest. This ancient plant, endemic to China, has been named by foreigners as the 'Chinese dove flower', the 'most beautiful flower of the northern temperate zone', and has been transplanted to Europe as a valuable ornamental plant. As a relatively complete species "gene pool", Fanjingshan attracted great attention from Chinese and foreign scientists as early as the 1930s and 1940s. In 1978, Fanjingshan was officially designated as a Guizhou Provincial Nature Reserve, and in 1986, it was upgraded to a National Key Nature Reserve, and in the same year, it was accepted by UNESCO as a member of the international Man and the Biosphere Programme (MAB).
360 Virtual Tour of Gorham's Cave Viewing Platform
A 360 tour taken from Gorham's Cave's Viewing Platform. The platform was created to allow visitors to view the entrances of Gorham's Cave Complex from the mainland, and to provide information on the heritage site. Gorham's Cave Complex is a UNESCO World Heritage Site due to the evidence that it has provided on the cultural traditions of the Neanderthals, which occupied the site for over 100,000 years. Accompanying photographs of points of interest can be seen through Google Drive due to RoundMe server issues.
Calypso music is a genre in which communicates and revolves around social commentary. Calypso was developed by West African slaves who were brought to the Caribbean in the eighteenth century. Original tradition would have a local bard telling stories through song, and offering social commentary through praise, satire or lament (BBC, 2017). Trinidad playing host to carnivals - and therefore calypso competitions - made the genre globally synonymous with the country. Subsequently, through commercial recordings beginning in the 1920s and 30s, calypso music became a social looking glass into matters of Trinidadian public interest (Guibault, 2005). Calypso is recognisable by its use of 4/4 syncopated time signatures, call and response, and prominent Latin percussion – but the most distinctive element is the topical, witty, and satirical lyrics performed by the calypsonians. The attached song is “Split Me In Two” by The Mighty Dougla. This example of a calypso was written in the 1950s and provides a comical perspective on how Trinidad is an extremely multicultural society and if, as the government proposed, some second generation citizens were to be deported back to their ancestral countries, many people would struggle to know which country to choose. BBC. 2017. The Surprising Politics of Calypso. Accessed 2022. https://www.bbc.com/culture/article/20171010-the-surprising-politics-of-calypso. Guibault, Jocelyne. 2005. "Audible Entanglements: Nation and Diasporas in Trinidad's Calypso Music Scene." Duke University Press 9 (1).
Following emancipation in 1834, former slaves were allowed to participate in the Trinidad Carnival, however African-descended percussive performance was heavily targeted by restrictive government bills which banned many common percussive instruments (Google 2022). Having used improvisational instruments for years, by the 1930s Trinidadians experimented with a new improvisational instrument as they began to adapt oil drums to create the first steel pans. Trinidadians realised that the convex dent at the bottom of the oil drums would cause a sustained resonance when struck with a wooden “stick” or “beater”. They then experimented to tune these resonances to distinct musical pitches and could then produce recognisable melodies. The process is laborious but tedious, as the metal is heated and hammered into place, but also tuned with more precise, delicate hammering. Google 2022. The Origins of Steel Pan Notting Hill Carnival. Accessed 2022. https://artsandculture.google.com/story/the-origins-of-steel-pan-notting-hill-carnival/AAWBxQd4TKb21w?hl=en.
Calon Lan is a Welsh song which was written as a hymn in the 1890s. Both lyric writer and composer, Daniel James and John Hughes respectively, were born into poverty and worked industrial jobs from their teenage years (Felin Fach 2020). The song was originally written for Welsh hymn-singing festivals such as Cymanfaoedd Ganu however it became very popular during the 1904-05 Welsh Revival (Gower Hidden History 2016). Today the song remains extremely popular with the Welsh. It is consistently sung in Wales national rugby games, as well as by the most revered choirs and soloists in the country (Welldigger 2012). “Calon Lan” is Welsh for “A Pure Heart”. The lyrics describe how a pure and good heart is more valuable and meaningful than any material possession. This song is meaningful to the Welsh culture because of its generational popularity. It has been sung by Welsh people in every significant event of the last century, including both Worlds Wars and Wales winning the Six Nations in 2021. Therefore it units the Welsh people and has a strong cultural connection. Felin Fach. 2020. Calon Lan Lyrics. Accessed 2022. https://www.felinfach.com/blogs/blog/calon-lan. Gower Hidden History. 2016. History of Iconic Hymn. Accessed 2022. http://gowerhiddenhistory.blogspot.com/2016/03/41-history-of-iconic-hymn.html. Welldigger. 2012. Calon Lan Welsh Anthem and Revival Hymn. Accessed 2022. https://daibach-welldigger.blogspot.com/2012/08/calon-lan-welsh-anthem-and-revival-hymn.html?view=classic.
The building complex of the Paiyun dian was built in the Qianlong period of the Qing Dynasty and used to repay great gratitude. The entire scenic area covers an area of about 8,000 square meters. Centered on the Cloud Paiyun Temple, it consists of Paiyun Gate, Yuhua Hall, Yunjin Hall, Ergongmen, Fanghui Hall, Zixiao Hall, Cloud Paiyun Hall, Dehui Hall and other connected buildings. It is composed of the veranda and supporting rooms of the palace. In 1860 the complex was burned down by the British and French forces. In 1886, it was rebuilt by Cixi, and the lower part of the Yanshou Temple was changed to the building complex of the Paiyun Temple where the birthday ceremony was held. There are many birthday gifts presented by princes and ministers when Cixi celebrated her birthday.
Culture,Immovable Culture Heritage,Intangible Heritage
Calypso music is a genre in which communicates and revolves around social commentary. Calypso was developed by West African slaves who were brought to the Caribbean in the eighteenth century. Original tradition would have a local bard telling stories through song, and offering social commentary through praise, satire or lament (BBC, 2017). Trinidad playing host to carnivals - and therefore calypso competitions - made the genre globally synonymous with the country. Subsequently, through commercial recordings beginning in the 1920s and 30s, calypso music became a social looking glass into matters of Trinidadian public interest (Guibault, 2005). Calypso is recognisable by its use of 4/4 syncopated time signatures, call and response, and prominent Latin percussion – but the most distinctive element is the topical, witty, and satirical lyrics performed by the calypsonians. The attached song is “Split Me In Two” by The Mighty Dougla. This example of a calypso was written in the 1950s and provides a comical perspective on how Trinidad is an extremely multicultural society and if, as the government proposed, some second generation citizens were to be deported back to their ancestral countries, many people would struggle to know which country to choose.
"In December 1998, UNESCO included the Summer Palace on its World Heritage List. It declared the Summer Palace 'a masterpiece of Chinese landscape garden design. The natural landscape of hills and open water is combined with artificial features such as pavilions, halls, palaces, temples and bridges to form a harmonious ensemble of outstanding aesthetic value' ". (Wikipedia).
Buddha incense Pavilion on Longevity Mountain, Kunming Lake in the foreground.
Pai Yun Dian, Hall for Dispelling the Clouds
application/octet-stream Autodesk FBX Document
The Summer Palace is located in the northwestern suburbs of Beijing. It was originally called Qingyi Garden. It was built in 1750. The Summer Palace is composed of Longevity Mountain and Kunming Lake. It covers an area of 293 hectares and accounts for about three-quarters of the water surface. There are more than 100 buildings with scenic views, more than 20 courtyards, more than 3,000 ancient buildings, and an area of more than 70,000. There are more than 1,600 ancient and famous trees. Among them, Foxiang Pavilion, Long Corridor, Shifang, Suzhou Street, Seventeen-hole Bridge, Harmony Garden, and Grand Stage are all well-known representative buildings. The Summer Palace is a national key cultural relic protection unit and was listed as a world cultural heritage in November 1998.
Audio description of the Calanais Standing Stones
An audio description of the Calanish standing stones which can be used as an alternative to the textural description. Details the history, myths and legends behind the stones.
Audio description of the Ring of Brodgar
An audio description of the Ring of Brodgar, detailing its history and associated legends and stories. An alternative to the textural description provided.
An audio description covering the history of the Odin Stone, including the legends and stories behind it. An alternative to the textual description.
Audio description of the Standing Stones of Stenness
This audio details the history behind the Standing Stones of Stenness, including the legends and stories told about the stones. It is an alternative to the textual description presented.
3d model of the Calanais Standing Stones
A 3D model illustrating the central stone circle of the Calanais Standing Stones, along with the chambered cairn and rows and avenues of standing stones. Is it thought that the stone circle and its central stone circle was erected first around 2900BC, whilst the chambered cairn and rows and avenues were thought to be added 500 years later. Read more about the Calanais Standing Stones by looking at the interactive map.
The image taken in 2014 shows the central stone circle within the Calanais Standing Stones as the sun appears to to set.
Aerial view of the Calanais Standing Stones
An aerial view of the Calanais Standing Stones taken in 2008, showing the stone circle and the rows and avenues of standing stones around it.